(Well, What Have You Done?)
It could be a very intimidating thing, thinking about “Everything You Ever Did”. I mean, stop and think about how you’d feel if someone knew everything you’ve ever done– not just the good, sweet things, and the highs and lows, but every single lie, every bit of secret pride, all your bad choices, the times you cheated or gossiped, or the hateful thoughts… How would you feel when you realized they knew everything?
John tells us about a Samaritan woman who was told “everything I ever did”, and yet still saw it as a positive experience. When she spoke to Jesus and he candidly acknowledged the mistakes she’d made and her sinful lifestyle, you’d think she might be offended, and accuse him of being insensitive; but instead, this is what she did:
“The woman then left her water pot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me everything that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” (John 4:28-29 KJV)
Not Just the Good Things…
Hmm, what if someone knew everything YOU have ever done? Are there things you regret? Things that no one else knows about? For me, I have often thought that if people knew the real, evil me, they would not, could not look at me the same way. (Would you see him in that light? Would you, could you? If you might—surely you would get a fright! You would say, “That’ boy’s not right!”) But, really, if anyone was aware of “everything I ever did”, they would certainly reject me. And I would be terrified that they were going to turn around then and tell EVERYONE ELSE all of the bad stuff I’d ever done.
I feel sure if you knew EVERYTHING I’d ever done, you wouldn’t be reading this and you wouldn’t like me. (Ha, but it’s funny in a way–I know you’re thinking, “So what has he done that he is so ashamed about?”, but at the same time if you stop and really apply the inverse of that to yourself I bet you’d feel the same way, and I bet if all of us knew, nobody would like YOU, either…)
No Condescension or Condemnation
Jesus had never met this person or been to this place before, but he told the Samaritan woman accurate details about the sin in her personal life. But the way he did it was very matter-of-fact, not condescending or rude. The woman responded fearlessly to what Jesus knew, and when she went back to the village she described Jesus in a unique way: “come see a man who told me everything I ever did.”
The Samaritan woman made poor choices in men. She failed in several marriages and was “living in sin” with a guy, which are just the obvious things Jesus told her about. I’m sure there were lots more seedy details. Here’s my point: if Jesus knew some of the bad things, it stands to reason he knew ALL of them. Yet, he never chastised her, never condemned her… He engaged her, intrigued her, and elevated her.
It’s not about her
Her life, and that of her entire village, was changed by an encounter with Jesus. That’s great, you say, but what does this have to do with me? Well… Jesus knows all the things YOU ever did. Not just the big stuff, but all of the seedy details. He does not chastise or condemn, but looks at you with a mixture of both love and disappointment, forgiveness and grace. As he offers himself, are you engaged and intrigued? The Samaritan woman found forgiveness, acceptance, and something worth telling her whole world about! What about you?
Through Jesus’ Eyes
The Scarlet woman snuck out to the well,
Because the other women put her down;
They’d all decided she was going to hell,
And no one even wanted her around.
She’d slept around with men, she lived in sin,
And the village women wouldn’t let her in…
One day a man discussed her wayward life,
And she could only look at him and nod…
As she saw the love in Jesus’ eyes,
He introduced her to the Living God.
What if everything you ever did
Was talked about, and none of it was hid?
What if God just opened up the lid?
Jesus would look directly in your face,
And say: “Don’t feel alone or out-of-place;
Rejoice, my child, in God’s Amazing Grace!”
To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread
